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Rick Corrente continues to show a lack of understanding on budgeting and pretty much everything else effecting our city. The real reason he ignores 85% of the schools budget makes up salaries and benefits is because it interferes with his pandering to the WTU. Rick, what you don't seem to understand is when 85% of the budget is inflated by salaries and benefits, in most companies employees wouldn't be receiving ANY RAISE. You say 3% is much like other towns, but there are other factors at play other than whether NK and Cranston teachers get a raise. The other issue Rick, is that most companies reward employees with raises when they achieve RESULTS. That has not been the case as our schools have been struggling with below average test scores for years.

Instead of focusing on that 85% (salaries and benefits) and how to reduce that (which is where this conversation needs to be RIGHT NOW), Corrente and others (to be fair) attack the School Committee for how they spend the other 15% of the budget. How is this effective budgeting? I believe the best way to deal with this problem is to gain concessions on the salary and benefits side. I know much easier said than done but until people acknowledge where the budget is inflated we are going to be chasing our tails for decades. Whether it's raising the employee contribition toward health care costs, capping sick days, freezing salaries or even changing to a cheaper health care provider. We can't waste anymore time and my fear is with this newly elected School Committee thats exactly what we will be doing.